You are here

Apply for a Grant

Basic Requirements

The France-Merrick Foundation concentrates its grant-making within the State of Maryland and primarily within the greater Baltimore area. Applicants must be a non-profit organization holding 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code.

The Foundation favors one-time, project-oriented requests which have defined beginnings and endings, as opposed to annual giving or ongoing operational support. Applicants must have the financial stability to sustain the project for which funding is being sought. In addition, applicants are expected to demonstrate adequate administrative capacity, financial stability and program effectiveness, including the ability to describe evaluation criteria, methods and expected outcomes in their requests.

The Foundation does not provide funding for:

Individuals

Special events or advertising space in programs

Deficit financing/debt reduction

Political activities

General operating/annual giving

If the request involves new construction or renovation of an existing building, special attention will be given to the sustainable building practices and energy conservation measures being incorporated into the project.

How to Apply and Our Process

Organizations should send the Foundation a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), via mail or e-mail at info@france-merrickfdn.org, containing the following information:

brief description of the organization including its mission, population served, scope of activities, and current organizational budget size

goals and objectives of the proposed project for which funding is sought

total cost of the project, any funds already committed, the fundraising gap, and the amount of the request

timeline over which funding is needed, and overall timeline of the project

The LOI should be on official letterhead and should be signed by the Executive Director. Please provide contact information (name, title, phone number and email address) for the person who can best answer questions staff may have about the letter of inquiry.

The LOI is the beginning of the Foundation’s application process and is accepted on a rolling basis. After the LOI is reviewed by Foundation staff, the organization will be notified within two weeks if a full proposal should be submitted and provided with the proposal guidelines and due date. If the Foundation is not requesting an application, notification will also be sent.

For those organizations invited to submit proposals, a discussion or site visit may be arranged as part of the review process. The request will then be considered by the Board of Directors who meets four times throughout the year. Organizations with proposals under review will be given guidance as to when a final funding decision could be expected, however, final decisions are usually communicated within three months.

Organizations receiving a grant will be asked to sign a grant agreement which will outline the terms of the grant, including both the reporting requirements and payment schedule. Per Foundation policy, a new funding request may only be submitted after completing a two-year waiting period from the last payment date.